Evolution and Essence of Human Ecology

Abstract

The article attempts to compare and contrast the contents and essence of human geography and human ecology because they appear to be overlapping disciplines. It defines Human Ecology as the study of an ecosystem dominated by human beings. The overlap between Human Ecology and Human Geography occurs because the common theme of enquiry in both subjects is interrelationships. The study concludes that the difference in the subjects lies in the methods of analysis of the interrelationships and not the contents per se. Human Geography highlights interrelationships through the discourses and uses objective methods in a piecemeal manner for isolated phenomenon while ecology offers tools to objectively measure interrelationship between each component within the monistic framework of systems analysis. Literature on the subject reveals that geographers did develop tools and objective methods to analyse interrelationships but sadly they have lagged behind in using these tools for analysis of interrelationships. In fact, much of these attempts of geographers to use these tools remains confined within an intellectual exercise rather than an analytical exercise. The paper concludes that Human ecology and Human Geography share a common theme of enquiry but their difference lies in the methods of analysis. It further suggests that the former is more of a tool for analysis of the various dimensions of functional interrelationship between components of a system and is not an academic discipline in itself.